In the collaboration of every hypebeast’s dream, Virgil Abloh and Nike have joined forces for a new sneaker range.
Nike tapped the Off-White designer to recreate 10 of its most iconic footwear styles for a project dubbed “The Ten.” Bringing his distinct streetwear aesthetic to the table, Abloh redesigned Nike classics like the Air Jordan I, Air Max 90, Air Force 1 Low, Converse Chuck Taylor and more.
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“What we’re talking about here is larger than sneakers, it’s larger than design culture. It’s nothing short of state-of-the-art design,” Abloh said in a release shared by Nike. “These 10 shoes have broken barriers in performance and style. To me, they are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa. You can debate it all you want, but they mean something. And that’s what’s important.”
Courtesy Nike
The ten styles are separated into two themes, “Revealing” and “Ghosting,” with the former featuring classic, open-cut designs and the latter featuring translucent uppers for a more futuristic vibe. The sneakers may vary slightly in terms of design but all ten feature a distinct red zip tie through the laces. Abloh also brought his tongue-in-cheek logos to the designs, with “SHOELACES” written across some of the actual laces and “AIR” superimposed on the sides of the Nike Air VaporMax, Air Jordan I and Air Presto shoes.
The first five sneakers of “The Ten” project—the Air Jordan I, Nike Blazer, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air Max 90, and Nike Air VaporMax—will be pre-released in New York City (September 9-13), London (September 18-22), Milan (September 21-25) and Paris (September 26-30) at NikeLab stores.
The full collection will launch in November at NikeLab stores and select retailers worldwide.
